Queen of Crafts

Posted in Sewing by nettie

Martha Stewart looks fantastic in person. That’s a weird way to start the post isn’t it? But that was the first thing I thought when I saw her. She is also taller than she looks on TV. Anyway…

Tim Gunn was the guest and he is also great looking in person. And taller. It was a sewing themed show and everyone in the audience was a sewer. I had a great time but it would have been nice to have some company. My guest backed out at the last minute so it was a little lonely watching everyone else talk excitedly with their friends. I was lucky enough to have a nice chat with Jennifer the managing editor of Adorn magazine as well as three other staff members. I also got my face on camera when Martha came into the audience to speak at the end of the show. My daughter thinks that is particularly cool. I got to see an $8,000 sewing machine and get a goodie bag.

I also got to see that Martha is for damn sure a feminist. We could ask questions at the end, the first two were unremarkable. Then a woman said that she had MSL mags going back 10 years and that her husband wouldn’t let her buy anymore. Before she could continue speaking Martha said loudly and with a look of disbelief on her faec “You let your husband tell you what to read?” I was shocked, but in a good way. The lady meant that he wanted her to throw some away before buying more but the damamge was done. Martha was having none of that.

About this:

You know that I finished Juliet to wear to the show. I also wanted to make a new bag, a big one, the perfect one. For me anyway. I planned out details that I wanted it to have and got to work. It was coming out exactly as I had planned. I was smugly conrgatulating myself (in my head) as I attached the handle (the last step!) when my machine made a sound like a car being run over. I looked down to see that the needle was broken. I changed it and put the handle back under the foot and pressed down on the pedal and nothing happened. That car crash sound was the damn belt jumping off track. So I had to crack the thing open and put it back, it was harrowing to say the least. I did feel like a rock star when it was all fixed though.

Totally Juliet

Posted in knitting, Sewing by nettie

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Merino Chunky, about 9 skeins
Needles: 10 1/2, 13’s to BO
Mods: CO for the Medium but knit the amount of increases for a size small. I bound off for the sleeves but had too little room and the wrong number of stitches. So I used the backward loop cast on to add five stitches under each arm when I started to work the body, this also gave me the correct number for the lace portion. I knit in garter stitch for 3.5 inches before starting the lace pattern. I made a few boo boo’s on one panel, but I got in synch with the pattern right after so I didn’t screw up the rest of the knit.
Loved it: Immediately. I may love this more than anything I have ever (tried to) knit for myself. I wore it all day. I’m glad I re-claimed this yarn from a doomed project.

BTW it was freezing there.

More on her later =)

Mother nature is conspiring against me

Posted in knitting by nettie

Okay I know I have been more crafts and sewing as opposed to knitting lately. So I’m sure that all of that progress on Juliet seemed unusual. Well now is the time for full disclosure. I am going to a taping of the High Priestess of all that is crafty, Martha Stewart’s, show on Monday! They are taping a show about sewing and wanted to fill the audience with sewers of all skill levels.

The Purl Bee posted their call for sewers. They asked you to send an email with a little about yourself and your skills as a sewer. They sent me the confirmation email which gave a list of things you shouldn’t wear and asked that you tell them a little about the sewing projects you were going to bring to share. Well I don’t know if I was being overly ambitious, eager to impress or just stupid, but I may have stated that I was going to wear a shirt that I made from the pattern in Sew U and a snazzy hand knitted vest to the show.

Sounds cute right? Well I neglected to mention that the shirt hadn’t made it past cutting out the pieces. So I get to work, and I can’t attach the sleeves to save my life. So I thought ehh later for the shirt I can still wow them with the vest. So I kicked it into high gear on Juliet.

You remember the post title right? At some point yesterday it occurred to me that it was rilly rilly warm and humid suddenly. I figured I should check the weather. Monday’s forecast reads like a mild July day. Suddenly a chunky 100% wool vest is looking like a bad idea. This is graduation day all over again. So tomorrow I will go and BUY myself a suitable shirt, and finish Juliet since I’m so close to finishing and really enjoying that bit of lace. I have to be there at 8:30am so maybe it will be brisk enough to wear on the way there. This is doubtful but I can dream =(

18Sep2007

Juliet

Posted in ebony butterfly, Family, knitting by nettie

You may recognize this yarn from the failed buttony cardi. It’s Debbie Bliss merino chunky knit on size 10 1/2 bamboo needles. My damn denise cord snapped again while making this.

The buttons are even more beautiful in person. I can’t wait until my other purchases get here.
In other etsy news, I made another sale!!
Someone who came to the fair I was at returned the next weekend to buy this bag. I wasn’t there so she asked the organizers to forward her email to me. It was very cool of them to send it along. The buyer actually said she could not stop thinking about the bag. Very cool!

BTW, do you think I could have found a smaller t-shirt in my dresser? One deep breath and my whole belly would be showing.
Anyway. I’m adding this pic just because.

Daughter number one was at school.

18Sep2007

Samantha Wins

Posted in Uncategorized by nettie

Hey Samantha you’re a winner!

Through a series of complex random number generating exercises Samantha beat out the whopping four other contestants for the prize =)

Kidding. I wrote 1-5 on scraps of paper and chose four out of the bag.
Next giveaway will include some ass kickin’ yarn, let’s see if that generates enough comments for the complex number crunching sites.

Samantha if you read this before you check your email drop me a line.

14Sep2007

Etsy Shopping Spree

Posted in ebony butterfly, knitting by nettie

I may have had a small spending spree over on Etsy.

Simple custom bracelet

Buttons for the number 1 sons sweater (or this size).
His 2nd birthday was yesterday so the guilt is on to finish before he outgrows it.

Buttons for Juliet
Did I forget to mention this spree fell over into the Zephyr Style site as well? It’s so cute I already started (despite the guilt to finish both my sisters sweater and #1 sons)

And a very cute, no one else will have, straight from England (where I secretly want to live) wallet.

I think I’m done now =)

12Sep2007

9/11

Posted in Family by nettie

I usually don’t talk about 9/11. It was an unusually happy time in my family. We had all gone on a trip together for the first time ever to see my Uncle get married in the hometown of his wife to be. We all had a great time and the feelings of joy were still riding high.

I was looking out my window when the second plane hit. I was looking out my window when the building fell. I could smell smoke for days, weeks even. My cousin was in school nearby and we couldn’t get her on the phone for hours. I cried when I heard her voice in the house later that day.

I couldn’t see my boyfriend (now husband) because he couldn’t get to Brooklyn from Jersey. We had a lot of memories connected with those building. We traveled beneath them to spend time with one another. Those intense beginning stages were spent laughing through those halls. It was there that I found out that my first child was on the way. I spent more time in the Borders located there than in class some days.

I try to remember those times, the good times, everyday not just today.